Rutte says Russian hybrid actions will accelerate NATO support and European rearmament

A warning delivered in Berlin

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia's attacks on Ukraine and hostile activity elsewhere in Europe are reinforcing, rather than weakening, allied support for Kyiv and higher defence spending. He delivered the assessment in Berlin on September 10 alongside German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. The appearance followed what NATO described as a Russian hybrid attack affecting Leipzig and a wider series of cyber incidents, sabotage concerns and airspace violations.

Europe's larger burden

Rutte argued that European governments increasingly recognise that assuming greater responsibility for their own security is unavoidable. At the same time, he maintained that the United States remains committed to the alliance. The combined message was that stronger European capabilities should reinforce the transatlantic framework rather than replace it, particularly while Russia's war continues and European governments face pressure to turn spending promises into deployable forces.

Germany's expanding role

NATO highlighted Germany's plan to devote 3.5% of gross domestic product to core defence by 2029. Germany has also established an armoured brigade in Lithuania and is providing aircraft and naval assets for alliance missions. Rutte identified the German-Netherlands First Corps as another central command contribution, presenting Berlin as an increasingly important operational hub for deterrence along NATO's eastern and northern approaches.

Ukraine and the Baltic Sea

The secretary general connected support for Ukraine with wider European security. He cited allied work to counter Russia's shadow fleet and safeguard critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, where energy links and communications cables have become a focus of security planning. Those missions illustrate how NATO's response now extends beyond conventional reinforcement to maritime monitoring, cyber defence, infrastructure protection and coordination with national law-enforcement authorities.

What comes next

The immediate question is whether European capitals can convert higher budget targets into ammunition, air defence, trained personnel and resilient infrastructure quickly enough. Germany's timetable and its Lithuanian deployment will be closely watched as tests of implementation. NATO must also calibrate responses to hybrid incidents that may be dangerous but fall below a clear armed attack, preserving allied unity while avoiding unsupported attribution or automatic escalation.